


The Root of All Magic

by for_t2



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Dark Magic, Evil Plans, F/F, Friendship, Humor, Quidditch, Secrets, Sneaking Around, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-16 10:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21506062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_t2/pseuds/for_t2
Summary: Hogwarts' most dangerous student is up to something, and Shaw's going to find out what
Relationships: Root | Samantha Groves/Sameen Shaw
Comments: 3
Kudos: 53





	The Root of All Magic

"Shaw."

"Shaw."

"Shaw!"

"Hgnm?" Shaw finally looked up from her plate of delightfully tasty curry, with enough extra peppers added in to burn the tongue off a giant, to find Fusco nudging her.

"Wonderboy wants you to pass him the bread."

And indeed, the only plate of bread on this end of the table was right next to Shaw. "Tell him he can fetch it himself."

"You tell him!"

"I'm eating." Although, for good effect, Shaw grabbed a slice, stared Reese in the eyes, and enjoyed it.

"Agh," Fusco groaned.

And, okay, maybe that wasn't the most mature thing Shaw's ever done, and maybe sixth years are supposed to responsible and all that, but there's just something about the day before a quidditch match that brings out the competitive streak in everyone. Especially Shaw. Especially when it's a match against Reese.

It had all started innocently enough (more or less) on the Hogwarts Express all the way back in first year. Shaw was enjoying the luxury of a cabin all to herself when the much taller kid with exactly one facial expression poked his head in, and took an empty seat across from her in silence. The perfect friendship got even better the moment, about halfway across the country, when he pulled out the Daily Prophet and skipped right to the Quidditch pages.

To no one's surprise, he made Gryffindor's team as a beater immediately.

As for Shaw, well...

 _Brave and reckless, as Gryffindor as they come, no?_

Shaw would never forget the weight of the Sorting Hat over her head, taking what seemed like much longer than it had to make a choice than for anyone else.

_But... ruthless, efficient, emotionless. Maybe destined for Slytherin. I bet that's what you've always heard, eh?_

And, really, Shaw didn't care one way or another, just as long as it wasn't--

_Don't underestimate your abilities as a healer_

And that was how the best beater in a generation (in Shaw's humble opinion) ended up a Hufflepuff.

And tonight, Hufflepuff was going to start the year by crushing Gryffindor.

*****

"Oh, dear."

It's not that Finch couldn't appreciate the sport. There is perhaps a certain elegance to the tactics, a certain puzzle in the snitch, it's just that--

"Watch out John!" 

It's just that the last time a bludger had hit Reese, the amount of blood was rather unsettling. And he wasn't sure he would ever get the sight of Shaw's knee, bent in places that shouldn't be physically possible after a particularly well-placed bludger from Reese, out of his memory.

The perils of having the so-called Mayhem Twins as your two best friends were often much clearer than Finch would've liked.

"Oh dear," he muttered again as Fusco sent the bludger back Reese's way. "Oh dear, oh dear."

In the seat below him, Claire sniggered. And, really, he knows that she's just doing it to get a reaction from him, and that she takes about as much pleasure in juvenile sport as he does, but he humours her anyways. Ravenclaws have to stick together, especially when the younger girl was spending a little too much time for his comfort talking to Slytherins, whether Greer (not a pleasent student) and his posse, Elias (oddly pleasent, but still) and his gang, or... or worse.

"Ms. Mahoney, this... this barbaric ritual involves a number of very painful outcomes."

"Relax." She sounded much too at ease. "What's the worse that could happen?"

Oh dear.

*****

As time goes by, the more Shaw begins to realise that maybe there are some advantages to being in Hufflepuff.

Being continously underestimated is one. Having a dorm right next to the castle kitchens is two. The look on Reese's face when he loses? Three, four, and five.

And, sure, maybe he'd be a bit broodier than usual for the next couple days, but he'd get over it (plus, it gives him a convient excuse to get some extra sympathy from his Gryffindor captain Carter and one of two bearable Slytherins Zoe, in what Shaw thought was an unnecessarily complicated and subtextual relationship). Plus, she knew he was dying to get the chance to practice a couple new hexes, and there's isn't a better dueling partner in Hogwarts than Shaw.

But for now, Shaw's going to enjoy her glory while she still can. Which, of course, means heading back to the kitchen for extra party supplies, a nd wandering up the corridors to raid Professor Hersch's 'secret' stash, something she's becoming something of an expert at doing. And tonight is no different, another successful heist with her occasional late night partner Tomas (the second and last bearable Slytherin).

Successful, that is, until they hear footsteps echoing quickly down towards.

"Shit."

"We need a plan," because their cargo is really too important to--

"I have a plan," Tomas replies with a shrug before Shaw can think of something. "Every man for himself."

Before Shaw can react, he's gone. And before she can come up with a new plan, the footsteps reach her.

And if Shaw was worried before, her blood runs cold now.

Usually, she'd appreciate the possibility of an attractive girl marching towards her, in the middle of the night, all alone... But there's one exception.

The one student at Hogwarts who has no friends.

The one witch who never stops muttering to herself.

The one student who always seems to know too much, especially when it's stuff she shouldn't know.

The one witch who the teachers all keep an extra eye on at all times (and rumour says the Ministry does too).

The only student who's intelligence and creativity comes anywhere close to Finch's.

The one student who scares even Gryffindors and makes Slytherins think twice.

Shaw openly admits that she likes it rough. But there's rough, and then there's sadistic. And she's pretty sure Root would relish the idea of slaughtering every single person in Hogwarts.

And she's come to a halt right in front of Shaw.

Shaw isn't sure whether to run or pounce or...

And when Roots looks her over with an air of arrogant indifference and mutters, Shaw hand slips down to her wand.

"I'm sorry?"

Root rolls her eyes. "I wasn't talking to you."

Shaw blinks.

And Root's gone.

*****

"I'm telling you, she's up to something."

The entire team (plus Leon, who typically, managed to get lost just in time to run into them) had gathered in the Gryffindor common room at Shaw's request.

"She's always up to something," Reese whispered.

"This is different!" Shaw's likes to think of herself as stoic, but there's just something about the encounter that won't leave her. "Her wand was twitching."

"She's always twitchy."

"Not like this. This was deliberate." Shaw didn't need to remind Reese that Root was the first person in their year to master non-verbal spell casting, something they discovered after he got paired up with her once in a Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

"She's nuttier than Nutella," Fusco said, not that anyone else knew what muggle treat he was referring to. "Gives me the creeps."

"She's dangerous."

"Agreed," Carter always strayed on the side of caution. Probably the reason why she's the only one of them that earned a prefect's badge.

"Ms. Morgan, perhaps you could shed some light on the situation?"

Zoe shrugged. "Just because she's in my house doesn't mean I know what's going on in her head."

"I thought that was your hobby." Fusco had a point - everyone agreed Zoe was either going to become the next star of the Daily Prophet, or handpick the next Minister for Magic.

"Don't look at me."

So they all turned to Claire instead. "What?"

There were two people who's presence Root sometimes tolerated at Hogwarts. The first was Finch, who Root had once proclaimed the only other wizard in the country who could understand her vision (not that she elaborated). The second was Claire, who, for reasons utterly unfathomable to Shaw, had a minor obvious crush on Root, and for even more unfathomable reasons, was sometimes allowed to sit across from Root in the library.

"I don't know anything." Claire squirmed under the combined stares of everyone else. "I swear. It's not like she ever actually talks to me."

Silence.

This isn't getting them anywhere.

*****

"Ah, Miss Groves!"

Finch waved his chessboard in her direction as he tried to catch up with her, overly cheerful, and oblivious to the way she twitched at that name.

"I was hoping you'd join me for a game after supper."

"Sorry, Harry." She almost did seem genuinely sorry. "Things to do."

***** 

"You're supposed to be in bed."

Carter cornered Root on one of her prefect patrols, very much awake and wandering about. And apparently, Root thought the best way to react was to chuckle.

"Ten points from Slytherin."

Root rolled her eyes.

"I hope you have a good reason."

When Root laughed at her, Carter really couldn't be blamed.

*****

"You know, you've cost us a lot of points, Root."

Root didn't even look up or acknowledged Zoe's presence in any way.

"Greer's determined to, and I quote, 'make an example of the mudblood'."

Root shrugged.

"If you let me know what's going on, I can hold him off."

Root rolled her eyes.

It didn't end well for Greer.

*****

Claire took a deep breath.

"Root?"

Root looked up from her almost certainly illegally acquired book. And judging by the cover, whatever was in was probably even more illegal.

"Um..." Claire is not going to lose her nerve. Not this time. "There's a trip to Hogsmeade coming up, and I was wondering--"

"Martine's waiting for you to ask her."

Oh.

*****

"Hey, Cocoa Puffs!"

Root merely raised an eyebrow at the sight of Fusco jogging towards her.

"Look, I've got a potions essay due tomorrow, and there's a rumour that you..."

He trailed off as she just rolled her eyes and walked away, muttering again.

***** 

The zig-toed turglepuffs were a bad idea.

Even if Leon got them for cheap.

***** 

"Damn it."

Shaw had left the library for literally five minutes to grab a sandwich for supper, and somehow, in that time, Root managed to disappear.

But for some reason, her stuff was still at the table.

Which means...

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Shaw jumped at the sound of the voice sneaking up behind her. And the proximity. Especially the proximity.

"Root."

"If you're that interested, I could've come up with..." Shaw couldn't help herself from shivering at the whisper in her ear, the wand tracing down her neck. "More appropriate arrangements."

Oh, fuck.

"But then," Root took a step back. Smirked. "I'm sure the Big Lug could use your help right about... now."

What?

Shit.

"Reese!"

***** 

There are times for a scalpel, and there are times for a hammer.

A solid couple of months of digging, of sneaking around and spying had revealed approximately nothing about Root's plans. So, Shaw declared, with Reese's backing, that it was hammer time.

So they found themselves sneaking around again, in the middle of the night, staying just out of Root's sight (and sticking to her right side), while she creeped about, muttering nothing that sounded good.

And when she finally turned through a door, they were ready to pounce.

Until Reese's enchanted sickle burned. It was Finch's idea - a new, clever way of communicating to each other from across the castle.

"Finch is in trouble." Shaw didn't like how concerned Reese got.

"Go." He hesitated. So Shaw kicked him. "I can take her."

Shaw drew her wand the moment he left, and followed Root through the door.

It was a classroom. Not one Shaw's seen before, dark and windowless, her boots tapping against the cold stone floor.

And no sign of Root.

"I know you're--"

Shaw never even heard the spell.

*****

"You know Sameen, I've been watching you."

Those were not encouraging words to wake up to. Especially when you're waking up to a splitting headache and the reality of being tied to a chair.

Not to mention the magical pyscho grinning at you.

"And, I've got to say, I'm a big fan."

"Hrgg," Shaw managed to grunt in response.

"I'm running out of time." Root fiddled with Shaw's wand. "This castle, so much magic converges here. Doesn't it make you sick?"

"Hg." Shaw was rapidly discovering that, whatever Root had done to tie her down, it was working extremely well.

"The way you twist it, and bury it, and keep it hidden." Root tossed away Shaw's wand, no longer of interest. "So many arcane rules and divisions and chains. It's supposed to be magic!" She drew her own wand. "I thought muggles were bad enough, but you're just as rotten. Another pointless, dead end."

Shaw could feel her muscles start to loosen up.

"It's going to be free, Sameen. I have no idea what the world's going to look like. Isn't it exciting?" Root grinned, far too manic for Shaw's tastes.

"Root," Shaw put as much warning as she could into her voice.

"But first, I have a few theories to test. And you're very special, Sameen."

And the way Root looks at her, Shaw thinks that maybe this might've been a bad idea. "I don't know what you've heard, but I kinda enjoy this sort of thing."

Root beamed at her. "I'm so glad you said that." And pointed her wand at her. "We're going to have so much fun together."


End file.
